iOS 12's new Screen Time feature tracks your phone usage
Apple has given more details on its supposed phone de-addiction tool, which it had announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2018, earlier this month. To be precise, iOS 12 will now have a Screen Time feature which allows users to track time spent on their phones and much more, thereby providing insights into their healthy or unhealthy phone habits. Here's a sneak peek.
"We've never been focused on usage as a key parameter. We want people to be incredibly satisfied, and empowered by our devices...But we've never wanted people to spend a lot of time, or all their time, on them," CEO Tim Cook had said earlier.
The Screen Time feature is not one feature per say, but a collection of features tucked into the updated iPhone Settings menu. The Screen Time feature collects data on how many hours you use your iPhone for, how many times you pick it up, and offers other detailed insights like a break-down of apps used the most, number of notifications received.
Given the fact that studies have shown the unhealthy amount of time people spend on their smartphones, the Screen Time feature is going to offer as yet unknown insights into people's own smartphone usage behavior. In fact, the revelations might be rather startling for those in denial, like Apple CEO Tim Cook who himself was shocked by his own phone usage.
"I've been using it [Screen Time] and I have to tell you: I thought I was fairly disciplined about this. And I was wrong. When I began to get the data, I found I was spending a lot more time than I should," said Cook.
